In just a few short months, our newly inaugurated Gov. Tim Walz has had an eventful start to his term. Large amounts of snow and freezing temperatures created an almost statewide shutdown at the end of January. Sen. Amy Klobuchar also declared her campaign for president, bringing a major Minnesota candidate into the race for 2020. But as we enter
Guest column: Chisum deserves praise for soil testing stand
Phil Ringstrom, Sartell I believe council member Mike Chisum should be commended for pulling the “engineering and soil testing item” regarding the Sauk River Regional Park from the consent agenda during the Jan. 28 Sartell City Council meeting. When an elected representative performs his/her due diligence, their effort should be praised for representing their constituents and democratic principles. One year
Emmer aims to get out front on blockchain technology legislation
Technological innovation moves fast. Today’s hot new gadget is tomorrow’s candidate for recycling. It’s tough to keep up with 4K, 5G, AI and VR. No place is that struggle more obvious than in government. Legislation and regulation moves slowly as the gears of government creak. Meanwhile, technology and the marketplace determine what “rules” govern how the latest inventions operate. Two
The 30 percent should pay for ‘The Wall’
We shouldn’t have to wonder any longer why President Donald Trump shows such high-five admiration for thugs posing as national leaders – that rogue’s gallery that includes Vladimir Putin, Kim Jung-Un, Recep Erdogan and Rodrigo Duterte. Trump apes their autocratic attitudes. His declaration of a “national emergency” over his obsessive fixation on “The Wall” puts him square in the camp
Guest column: Missing facts harm fair reporting
Ron Stewart, St. Joseph I was fascinated by the opinion piece by Mike Knaak, “News has no ‘sides.’ Only facts” and came away thinking, if only this were true. Why do I question his supposition? The answer is easy and obvious: Whose facts? Which facts are presented and which facts are omitted? There is a reason the news media is
Future professional journalists honored at a difficult time
When 500 of Minnesota’s small-town reporters, editors, advertising sales people and publishers gathered for the annual Minnesota Newspaper Association Convention in Bloomington in late January, they began their awards program by focusing on the future of journalism. The awards program did not start with announcing the awards from the more than 4,100 entries in the annual Better Newspaper Contest, but
Guest column: Catholic Church should be investigated as an organized crime group
by Rob Schwegel, St Joseph The FBI defines Transnational Organized Crime as groups that are self-perpetuating associations of individuals who operate, wholly or in part, by illegal means and irrespective of geography. They constantly seek to obtain power, influence and monetary gains. TOC groups’ primary goal is economic gain and they will employ an array of lawful and illicit schemes to generate
Make political campaigns shorter
Over the last few weeks, we have seen more than a half dozen Democrats declare or signal their runs for the White House in 2020. This list includes well-known names such as Elizabeth Warren, as well as relative newcomers such as Kamala Harris and Julian Castro. The stage is being set for a race with huge numbers of Democratic candidates